Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
Quick & Easy Chinese (25 page)
SHRIMP WITH ZUCCHINI AND SWEET RED PEPPERS
You know already that fish and shellfish cook quickly, but you may not know how extraordinarily delicious they can be when prepared the Chinese way. Principle number one for Asian cooks in general is that the edible treasures harvested from rivers and oceans should be left alone as far as possible, to show off their natural flavors and textures.
This means that fish and shellfish can all be part of your busy-day menus. Start with shrimp, which make the most beautiful stir-fry of all in my opinion, and for the smallest amount of effort compared to slicing meat and stirring together complex sauces.
Shrimp with Tiny Peas
(page 103) is gorgeous; it’s dazzling enough for a party and simple enough for supper in a bowl over rice.
Shrimp with Zucchini and Sweet Red Peppers
(page 106) makes a speedy supper on a hot summer night when you don’t want too much stove time before dinner. A stop at the farmers’ market will give you peppers and zucchini, and ripe tomatoes and crisp cucumbers that you can slice and dress with salt and pepper to call it a meal. If you can find them at the beach or elsewhere, purchase flavorful wild-caught shrimp; buy a supply to freeze for stir-fries, or for
Grilled Ginger Shrimp
(page 104), in the days ahead.
Here you’ll find outstanding dishes featuring fish, from
Pan-Fried Snapper with Aromatic Soy Sauce
(page 107) and
Halibut Steamed with Fresh Ginger
(page 109) to
Salmon with Ginger
and Onions
(page 111).
Clams with Black Bean Sauce
(page 115) taste fabulous with the traditional accompaniment of rice, or as a pasta dish, scooped onto a plate of linguine for an Eastern spin on the Italian classic.
Shrimp Egg Foo Yong
(page 112) is a traditional dish that combines shellfish with eggs. The results are delicious and will convince you that eggs shouldn’t be exiled to the breakfast menu, as we tend to do in the West.
In addition to these recipes for the fish and shellfish beloved within Chinese cuisine, consider some of the sauces in the basics chapter at the end of the book as accompaniments for your standard repertoire of fish and shellfish. Next time you’re grilling salmon or tuna steaks, or sautéing big, sweet scallops, or preparing freshly caught trout or bluefish, cook them simply the way you know and love, and then give them a quick-and-easy Chinese finish with a fantastic, flavorful dip or sauce.
This dish of plump pink shrimp dotted with spring-green peas is the quintessential stir-fry: simple in concept, short on ingredients, and long on flavor. You can use regular-sized frozen peas, or edamame beans, instead of petite peas. Fresh peas work beautifully if you cook them in advance of adding them to the pan, so that they are tender when the shrimp is done.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
¼ cup coarsely chopped onion
½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen tiny peas
¼ cup chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
SERVES
4
In a wok or a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and toss well. Add the onion and cook 1 minute, tossing once or twice.
Scatter in the shrimp and spread them out in a single layer to cook on one side for about 1 minute more. Toss well, and then let the shrimp cook on the other side for about 30 seconds.
Add the soy sauce, sugar, salt, and peas, and then toss well. Add the chicken broth and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the shrimp are just cooked through. Scatter in the green onion, toss once more, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.
A simple ginger-soy marinade seasons shrimp in less than one hour, and a brief blast of heat—whether it’s a quick turn on the grill, in a grill pan, or in a hot oven—bestows fantastic flavor and color. I love these with
Tangy Plum Sauce
(page 174), but they’re wonderful with a great salsa or a spicy-hot dipping sauce. I like to leave the tails and first joint of the shell on, while breaking off and discarding the small pointed piece attached at the base of the tail. Leaving the tail on helps you turn the shrimp with tongs while they are cooking on the grill and adds beautiful color as well. You could also thread the marinated shrimp onto bamboo skewers, about three per skewer, before or after cooking.
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound medium shrimp, tails left on but peeled and deveined Tangy Plum Sauce (page 174) or Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce (page 172)